It may have been a snap to illicitly crank an engine back when Nehru jackets were in fashion, but not anymore.

"You could do it when the ignition was in the dash," notes national automotive writer Duchene, "but not these days.

"Plus, if you have a lot of electronic stuff like fuel injection, forget it. It's really easy to fry it all.

"It's not nearly the same as it was."

So make sure you have a set of spare keys, an up-to-date auto club membership or a mechanic who's willing to repair your auto-boosting damage for a reasonable price.

-- Text by Jay MacDonald, illustrations by Brandy Kesl.